Final Fantasy III: Age Before The Eternal Wind
by Arcality
Summary: Before the Legend of the Eternal Wind began to travel far and wide, there was an era before that, that of the Ancients. But with the intelligence of the Ancients growing ever mightier and the crystals' power slowly being drained to fuel the advanced civilisation, four youths were chosen to bring balance to their world once more...collab with Draconai. Posted on his profile & mine!
1. Chapter 1

Draco: What's up, Febass! It's Draco!

Arca: Don't forget me! The possibly (in)famous Arcality!

Draco: And we are asking for so much trouble right now. This little collab is based on Final Fantasy III, but we've decided to do things... a little differently.

Arca: Differently? You may be pondering. We can't tell you here in the authors' note! Read on to discover just what we've plotted-I mean, planned, for you! Happy reading!~

Final Fantasy III and the Eternal Wind era © Square Enix

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><p>"Where did that hole come from...?"<p>

A girl with jet-black hair raised her gaze to the gap in the rocky surface above her. Her garments - jacket and leggings of well-worn, faded leather - were slightly damaged from the fall, and there was a small gash in her left palm where she had tried to grab the edges of the pit. Hooked on her belt was a small survival knife - which was probably cause for the cut at her hip.

With a shake of her head, she looked into the dark around her, ignoring the circumstances of her predicament. "Focus, Kyra," she told herself as she pushed herself off the ground with a grunt. She held her head high after a quick dust off, knowing fully well what she had to do next. "Gotta find that thief."

She glanced around carefully, straining to see in the darkness. This lower cavern had less access to the natural light that provided visibility in the upper section she had been running through; letting her silver eyes adjust, she slowly stepped further into the cave. The narrow tunnel she had fallen into opened up into a slightly wider section; with only one other entry from it, it appeared to simply be a functional corner of the cavern.

Indeed, Kyra was just about to turn that corner when a blur of movement caught the corner of her eye. Thoughts began to form in her head. She hoped it wasn't was she thought it was... but Kyra had a nervous feeling it was what she believed it to be.

She spun towards the blur, but too late - a sharpened edge thrust into her shoulder, and she gave a scream of pain as she stumbled back. Now she saw it clearly; a humanoid figure with green flesh, a trigram of horns upon its head. Its body was covered in beaten cloth, and in one hand was a knife. With all the might the creature could muster, it directed its high pitched cry at Kyra, most likely taking pride in its own stealthy attack. The creature screeched even higher at its foe, ready to battle, or more so, finish her off.

Goblins, such vile and troublesome creatures found in little hideaways such as this cavern, were often not difficult to deal with on their own. The odd goblin infestation in Ur caused a ruckus in daily life and a large group of villagers could easily scare a large group away from the village with their advanced weaponry. However, there was only one villager here, and there was only one goblin, and neither seemed to intimidate the other.

Kyra's hand flew for her own knife; as the creature rushed to her, focused on where to hit her. However, she forced her body to the side, causing the offending blade to strike the rock floor of the cave. She lashed her blade into her opponent's side, causing it to cry out - a twisted, garbled sound like shredding trees - and as she watched, it slowly faded out of existence.

The sudden burst of adrenaline faded, and Kyra fell to her knees, her knife falling from her hand as she gripped the cut in her shoulder. The girl's ill feelings of her surroundings were proven to be correct.

This was no place for a girl, nor a thief, to be.

"What was that...?" she gasped, horrified. "A... monster?" She looked up, glancing around. "What have I gotten myself into now...?"

Gritting her teeth against one another, she propelled herself to her feet, picking up her knife on her way up. "Come on, Kyra," she snapped at herself. It was the only way she could keep herself focused, the only way she would make her way out of this cavern alive. "Find the thief, and get back to Ur. Ignore the monsters." Kyra threw out orders to herself.

She turned around, ready to carry out her own orders, only to find herself face-to-face with another pair of goblins.

"Okay, maybe that's not going to work..."

* * *

><p>It took Kyra a while to deal with what ended up being a set of six goblins. As many would think, six versus one never had its even chances. None of them took more than a single stab or slash to deal with, but they had landed a few blows in return; there was a nasty gash in her leg, and both arms now had nasty stab wounds. She stumbled further into the cave, every step sending a lot of pain through her body. No wonder children were kept further away into the village when goblins just happened to make their way into Ur. When they found a target, they really gave it all they had in them.<p>

After a while, the tunnel widened out into a larger room. Someone had thought to hang a torch on the wall, which was burning brightly; how thoughtful of them to do so in a rather dangerous cavern. A pair of treasure chests were sitting at the far corners of the room, and Kyra managed to pull herself forward to them. One of them held a shield of hardened leather; though it didn't help the blows she already had, she was glad to take it and hook it onto her arm. The other held a corked glass bottle, filled with green fluid. She couldn't help but feel ill at the sight of it. It reminded her of the kind of liquids she had to take when she was sick, really sick. An idea was soon planted in her head, and it began to grow...

_Should I?_ Kyra pondered. _Or should I not?_ She looked carefully at the liquid inside; it looked like the potions for sale in Ur's shops, the kind she took if she was quite ill, but the torchlight made it hard to tell. A thoughtless shift of her weight sent pain shooting up her wounded leg, and she tumbled to the side, landing painfully on the cave floor. Kyra had a choice; she either had to risk it for the sake of her health, or grow progressively worse due to her wounds. "Screw it," she muttered, pulling the cork with her teeth and draining it in one go.

The pain in her leg was quickly forgotten - when she shot to her feet for the express purpose of throwing up into the chest.

"Spoilt," she forced out when the ordeal was done, slamming the chest to trap the smell. In a sense, things could have been a lot worse. The situation being a lot worse was her lying on the floor, possibly dead from whatever else that liquid could have been. Throwing up her full stomach content seemed a better route to stumble on than the staircase to heaven. Carefully, she got to her feet and started further into the cave - and was irritated to find herself at a dead-end.

"You've gotta be kidding me," she muttered, forcing herself further towards the dead end as she searched for anything - a crack in the wall, a suspicious draft, anything that said she wasn't trapped here. No such luck. Nothing at all. Today wasn't continuing on all that well, was it? With a sigh, she glanced at the bottle she still had in her hands with frustration and tossed it forward with a low growl, leaning against the wall after the deed was done.

It collided with a boulder - and the wall she was leaning on fell away, revealing a passage further in.

Glancing up at a wall that had suddenly disappeared, she raised an eyebrow at the craftiness of it... and the oddity of it also. "Okay then," she murmured, getting to her feet. "That worked." She couldn't help but sound rather pleased with herself, and made her way forward on the new path laid out for her.

She found another chest sitting nearby; stumbling towards it she found herself holding what appeared to be a simple double-edged longsword, complete with a sheath for mounting on one's back. Maybe her luck was turning after all!

"Yes...!" Kyra laughed in victory, and couldn't help but kissing the hilt of the sword, celebrating her victory rather loudly.

Turning around after her victory, only then did she see another trio of goblins taking notice of her. With their own screeches, excited for battle, they lunged themselves at her.

"No, no, no!"

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><p>Kyra stumbled up the earthen slope, her body and garments now littered with cuts, with a nasty gash on her forehead from where one of the goblins had forced her into a particularly uneven wall. She lumbered her sore body on as the cavern levelled out, and she found herself at a three-way fork in the cave; she glanced around her for a brief moment before trudging straight forward, desperate to get out of here before the cavern's creatures got to her. More fighting was the last thing she needed right now. The straight path took her to another fork; the shining glow from the right path convinced her that that was her way out, and she forced her body to move, praying she wouldn't run into any more goblins.<p>

She didn't.

What she found instead were a trio of rocks, each with a single monochrome eye glaring at her. Above them were two glowing blue orbs, each surrounded by a powdery white smoke.

The moral of this for Kyra was to be careful what she wished for from now on.

An expression most pitiful rose on Kyra's face as she reached for her sword, drawing it and holding her shield before her. A few battles had helped her learn how to defend properly. Hopefully, that learning would now show through her next battle practise. The blue wisps shot towards her, but she quickly lashed her sword through one, ducked under the other, and rushed at the eyed stones. Thinking quickly, she drove her blade into each of their eyes, causing the rocks to tremble violently on her blade as they faded; then she turned around, expecting the wisp she hadn't struck.

She didn't expect that the one she had hit would still be there.

"Come on..." she groaned, gripping her sword tightly as she prepared to hold her own.

The two wisps rushed to her attack her yet again. She lashed at one, which appeared to be her initial target, causing it to fade before it could strike her. She swung at the other, but couldn't get a second hit in before it slammed into her stomach, knocking her back and causing her to hit the stone again. The wisp hovered over her menacingly, and with what energy she had, she stabbed at it with her blade, causing it to fade away.

She didn't have the strength to get back to her feet; slowly, she rolled onto her stomach, grabbing the stones around her and pulling herself forward. The pain shot through Kyra's back after the collision with the stone. The rocky ground grazed through her clothes and into her stomach, but she continued to move forward, going towards the light that should have signalled the exit to the cave.

What she found instead was water - water lit by a light all its own, as though the sun had been mixed into it.

Kyra pulled herself to the water's edge, looking at her twisted reflection in the water. "A spring?" she murmured. "That colour..." The pain in her body made it hard for her to think, but she felt like she had seen something like this before. It was hard to picture anything at the moment. Every time she looked for something that would help heal her wounds, her memories seemed to lead her back to home, to Ur. As much as Kyra's mind was clouded, she tried her hardest to think, even closing her eyes at one point to get an image or a memory to come back to her...

A drop of blood dripped from her forehead, striking her chest.

Then she decided it didn't matter, sinking her hand into the water and cupping it to bring the liquid to her lips. The moment her fingers were empty, she sank them into the water again, taking another drink; and then another; and then another. Her hands went from the water to her mouth quicker and quicker each time she went for it.

A few minutes passed before she had finished, and raised her head from the water and took a deep breath. The pain that had filled her body since she had fallen into this cave was nonexistent; the cuts and gashes had closed without a trace. Revitalized, Kyra got to her feet, glancing down at the spring.

"A wellspring," she remembered, her mind clear without pain to cloud it. There were springs like this at Ur; how had she forgotten about those? Maybe the pain was that bad. After all, it's all you think of when you get it. The trouble was, Kyra still couldn't understand why she had forgotten about the springs, nor why she couldn't remember the pain she suffered only a moment before.

Glancing around, she caught sight of a small chest nearby reaching in, she found a peculiar blue sphere emblazoned with an icy sigil.

A curious hum passed through her lips; nonetheless, she slipped the orb into her pocket before returning down the cave she had found, picking up her longsword on the way.

* * *

><p>Having gone back to revisit the other paths from the ascent, Kyra had been pleased to find two more of the blue orbs; taking the path opposite the wellspring led her to a set of stairs. This eventually took her outdoors - which meant she wouldn't be pounced on from the shadows. Kyra was relieved to be outside once again, albeit in the twilight; the sun had begun to set while she was inside.<p>

She was surprised to see a man in a long, black jacket reclining against the nearby stones. In his hand was a familiar accessory; a necklace of white gold, adorned with four jewels - emerald, ruby, sapphire, topaz - and clasped with gold. He seemed to chuckle away with himself, taking pride in the item he had acquired. Upon recognizing the man and the prize he held so dearly in his hand, Kyra drew her sword, yelling out, "There you are!"

The man in the jacket turned towards the call - and a look of shock appeared on his face when he saw Kyra. "You!" he shouted. "I thought I'd lost you!"

"Well ya _didn't_," Kyra corrected, her hands gripping on the sword as fury began to bubble away inside of her. "Now, give back my necklace, and I won't have to report you to-."

"Like hell," the man spat, his tone of voice rough, and cold. "After the trouble I went through to take it? I'm not just givin' this back!"

"I don't want to hurt you," Kyra insisted, despite her grip on the hilt getting tighter and tighter as irritation, too, started to rise to the surface.

The man spun the necklace around his finger, grinning just slightly. "Well, then isn't this just my lucky day?"

He turned and took off running, towards a large structure... was that a temple? Kyra started running after him, keeping her blade to one side - the longsword had a lot more potential for her to cut herself than her knife did. Unfortunately, she was not exactly accustomed to running without full movement of her arms, and the thief quickly disappeared into the temple ahead of her.

When she caught up, she was surprised by what was waiting for her.

Sitting within the temple, at an altar of shining stones, was a single massive crystal - a particularly blue hue of spring green. The altar was not very well lit, even considering the time of day; the thief with her necklace was standing in front of the crystal, as though realizing he had made a wrong turn. The design of the temple meant he had nowhere to run, and with a grimace, he turned to face Kyra.

"Listen," Kyra began, slowly stepping a foot out towards him. "I don't-"

"No, you listen!" the thief snapped back, backing away, scowling at her. "I don't know who the hell your parents are, but they oughta teach you right. I take something, it's mine. I'm not just gonna hand it back over." He sneered, and watched with amusement as Kyra's expression became a nasty glare.

The robber grinned. "Oh, I'm sorry, is that a sore spot for you? Sorry, lassie, but I'm not-"

A series of canine howls cut him off - both the snatcher and Kyra looked around for the source of the sound. Kyra saw it first - a trio of hounds charging forward from behind the crystal.

No... a trio of heads on the _same_ hound.

Without thinking, Kyra screamed, "Look out!"

The man spun around as the beast rounded the crystal. Its fur was a nasty dark blue, and its faces were not normal canine faces - a twisted combination of wolves and the goblins from the cave. Its eyes were blood red as they fully focused on the man below. As the heads either side flung around, their nightmarish eyes darting from corner to corner of the room, the center head took an interest to the thief below. As sharp, clean fangs were bared, a horrified scream sounded from the robber as the center head lunged forward, its fangs digging into his stomach. Kyra's necklace was sent flying from the man's hand as the head reared back, throwing him into the air half-severed, and the other two heads began to lash at him when they were finished looking around their surroundings, trying to get some of the thief for themselves in their stomach.

Kyra grabbed the necklace and hastily backed away, horrified by the sight of the man being torn apart by something of mere legend, from a scary story from younger years! _What is that thing!? Is that the cause of the monsters from the cave?_ Kyra asked herself in horror, looking on at the violence still taking place among the heads as the limbs were ripped apart and off the man. She shook her head. _I've got to get out of here…_

_Help... me..._

The voice came from nowhere - it didn't even touch her ears as much as it touched her mind. "What...?" She glanced around. "What was...?"

_Please... save me..._

_Defeat... Cerberus..._

Kyra had no time to react; the tri-headed hound had devoured the robber, and now had its gaze locked on her. Its fangs were bared once again, no longer showing clean, crystal-white fangs, but dark red stained fangs, blood drooling down the sides of each of the heads' mouths. "This thing?" she shouted at the temple around her, her tone full of disbelief. "Are you crazy?"

The monster - Cerberus - howled viciously, bringing her attention back to it, to what was the monster's desire for more bloodlust.

A heavy gulp came from Kyra as she raised her sword and shield.

"Alright. If I can... I'll save you!"

The monster leapt forward as one, and Kyra quickly leapt to the side, causing it to skid against the temple floor. Moving quickly, she lashed at its hind legs, causing the beast to howl and whirl around; the monster's fangs skidded across her blade, shearing off one of the blade's edges. Kyra glanced at the blade before raising her gaze to the beast, which howled again; thinking quickly, she hurled her shield at it, causing the three heads to start biting at it, before lashing her sword across its forelegs.

This time the beast acted faster; one of the heads lashed down and bit at her longsword, shattering the steel.

Kyra glanced at her bladeless hilt before raising her gaze to the beast's three heads. Horrified, she released her weapon and stepped back, reaching into her pockets; and one hand found the three orbs she had picked up from the cave.

_It's not like I have any other choice._

"You want to eat?" she taunted at Cerberus, drawing out the icy blue spheres - it was only just possible for her to hold them all in one hand. "Eat these!"

She hurled the three orbs at Cerberus, and the three heads quickly lunged forward, their maws each closing on one orb.

And the orbs each erupted in a spray of icy energy, causing Kyra to scream and take cover. All that was heard throughout was loud, high howls and whimpers of pain. When the chill mist faded, the beast was dead on the floor of the temple, slowly fading away.

Kyra panted, horrified. Slowly, she glanced around. "Where are you?" she called. "Who are you? And what... what _was_ that?"

The sun was setting outside - and yet, without warning, the temple began to brighten.

_You have been chosen..._

Kyra yelped, spinning around; but her movements came to a stop. The massive crystal was shining from within, illuminating the altar - and it was slowly turning. "Is this... Is the crystal... _talking_ to me?" It was a sight to behold. She heard about the crystals, how they kept the balance of their world. But... one that moved and presented itself like that? And... _talked?_

_Brave warrior... you have been chosen as the bringer of hope..._

_There are others who share your destiny... You must seek them out..._

"What... what do you mean?" Kyra cried out. "What are you talking about?!"

_Once you find them... I will bestow upon you... our last light... our last hope..._

_Now, go!_

"Wait! I-I don't understand!" Kyra shouted - but to no avail. A bright light, like that coming from within the crystal, began to envelop her, and her feet lifted from the ground as the world was blot out from her vision.

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><p>Arca: Well then, that was very interesting indeed, if I do say so myself!<p>

Draco: Hear hear! Forgive me if I sound pretentious, but I feel like that came out quite nicely - albeit in a very... what's the word I'm looking for? _necrous_ manner.

Arca: We really are asking for some amount of trouble here...ah, but a life without trouble is no life at all!

Draco: Alright then! Let us know what you think! _Write what you think is right._

Arca: ...hey, wait just a moment! Isn't that my old play on words quote?!


	2. Chapter 2

Arca: *pops up from piles of books* Hello, there! I'm drowning in my own work!

Draco: {steps out of dark room with controller in hand} And I am getting my ass kicked in Cocoon.

Arca: And we're back to bring you another chapter of this *special* work! Excuse the updating being late, someone is terribly busy at the moment.

Draco: And someone is being an ass about it. {glowing neon sign with "ASS" appears over my head, and "BUSY" over Arca}

Final Fantasy III and the Eternal Wind era © Square Enix

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><p>Upon the world becoming that little bit clearer once again, all source of light had disappeared once more, leaving her back onto the surface. Kyra had been set carefully onto the ground, on her hands and knees, slowly trying to adapt to the environment around her once again. Everything had been going too fast. "I've been chosen...and it's 'their' last hope? Just what was all that about?" A heavy sigh passed through her lips as she rubbed her forehead lightly, trying to clear her mind a little.<p>

A sudden wind whistled through her hair, continuing on not far from here and to a small village found in the distance. Kyra looked towards the village, and - inhaling greedy lungfuls of fresh air, something far more pleasant than the stuffy oxygen below the surface - made her decision. She silently began to make the trek towards the village. As she got closer, she recognized it as her hometown of Ur; only her subconscious noticed that, however, for her active mind had more pressing matters to consider. During her walk, Kyra started to rattle through thoughts and questions in her head about the whole ordeal.

_Why me? I was just passing through, retrieving something that was rightfully mine…_ The girl groaned to herself, beginning to rub her forehead again. Then a thought suddenly hit her, and she stopped in her tracks at the entrance of the village. _What am I going to tell her?_ She wondered, nervous about going home to her mother, and explaining where she had disappeared to.

Another deep breath passed through Kyra's lips before she entered the village.

Ur was quiet as it usually was. People were either busy indoors with their daily chores and such, or out for a little fresh air before returning to them. Much business wasn't generated here, since it wasn't as big as the neighbouring town of Kazus - a settlement around the same size, if not a bit bigger, which seemed to do a good deal of trade and business more than what this village did. But Ur had its advantages. After all, most children were raised here rather than in Kazus due to industry and mining taking up most of the town's good name. Here, though, the children may have been free to do whatever they want, since it was hardly ever busy, nor loud and rowdy as that industrial town would have been.

Kyra began to take in the calm environment she was so used to. The wind rustling through the leaves of pine trees bringing a lovely, natural scent to her nostrils. Why, she remembered that clearly. She woke up to that everyday. The low murmurings from different villagers as if they didn't wanted anyone to hear their secrets, or at least, didn't want to ruin the quiet. It was actually so quiet that you could hear the birds get on with their own work, holding their own conversations. Even at times, there was a distant cry of an animal you could hear far from Ur.

She began going through each little humble home she passed, taking in the features of worn wooden shutters, aged and discoloured walls, and even the little bit of effort made by homeowners to make the house theirs. This kind of effort included some flowers or plants planted here and there, but really, that was about all the village could do for itself. Some doors looked like fresh, new wooden doors but others had their broken bits, or marks down them to signify how long they had been there.

And finally, Kyra came across a small house she had recognised all too well. It's house has been painted white, but faded to a darker colour over time. It's shutters were usually opened wide enough to look inside and see a humble home. Its door was in a relatively good shape to others eyes but often getting it open was a problem. You had to take push it open to get into the house, so there was no way of sneaking in or out.

Sighing, Kyra pressed hard against the door, managing to get it opened, and shuffled into the house, greeted by the smell of freshly baked bread. Shuffling further into the living room in front of her, she could hear a voice calling out to her - a voice that carried with it the silent echoes of worry.

"Kyra? Is that you?"

Kyra nodded to no one in particular, soon finding her voice. "It's me." She croaked.

As quickly as she made it clear it was her, a tall and lean figure entered the living room. To add to her figure was a thin face with prominently high cheek bones. Long auburn stands of hair were strewn across her face that had come away from her now messy bun. She looked generally... messy, as such, what with her apron crumpled and marked slightly.

"Where have you been?! You had me worried sick, you know!" The woman began, folding her arms as tired eyes managed to give off a stern look. Kyra flinched at that look. She rarely ran off like she did, and so worried her mother right off the scale of worrying.

She swallowed back before managing to stare into her eyes long and hard. There was no going back, no beating around the bush - she had to tell her mother what had happened. She started stumbling through words, the best she could find to help explain what a hell of a day she seemed to have. "That thief led me all the way over to that cave and it took me forever to find him until he led me to this temple. And then there was this giant dog, or dogs," She managed to emphasise during her fast paced explanation but didn't stop to let her mother react to it. "Either way all three of the heads ripped him apart and then there was this crystal-"

"Kyra!" Two hands were firmly placed on the panicked girl's shoulders in an attempt to stop her rambling. "Slow down, I can't comprehend anything you're saying!"

Kyra blinked a few times, her eyes locked with her mother's yet again. "I'm sorry, I-"

Her mother put a finger to her lips, her eyes still staring into her daughter's. "Don't apologise. Sit down, and then you can tell me what's happened."

* * *

><p>What felt like hours passing to Kyra, the victim of it all, felt simply like fifteen minutes to her mother, Amina. Fortunately for the victim, her mother had a rather different reaction to the information that was spilled out for her. Of course, she had worried about where her daughter had run off to, any mother would. But Kyra didn't expect her mother to believe all that she had said.<p>

"So, you truly came face to face with the Wind Crystal?"

Kyra nodded her head vigorously, her eyes full of exasperation. "It's true! I swear it to the gods, it's really true! And it did speak to me, before you ask!"

Amina took in her defined words, nodding her head slightly as she told her this. Still, she hadn't given away an one inch of surprise in her eyes, something that worried Kyra a little. It was like she had known something like this was to happen, that one day she was to come back to her mother and tell her of this…

Or maybe Kyra was overthinking things again. Her mom couldn't just know something like that, right?

Amina soon rose from the sofa that once sat neat and uncreased and faced away from her daughter for a moment, lost in her own thoughts. Silence filled the room, and only she broke it within moments of creating it. "You know, none of this was happenstance, Kyra."

Kyra couldn't help but blink at her comment. She was too dumbfounded to even reply to the fact that her mother may have known something about this, and yet, never thought to even make her aware of such knowledge.

The next thing she knew, her mother had crouched down beside her, and took her two hands in hers. Her eyes had locked with hers, sensing something of pride and respect from within her, but yet, all Kyra could see in her mother's soft blue eyes was misery. Still having no will to speak, her mother continued on.

"That crystal chose you for a reason. It recognises the will you have hidden inside you, and it knows... it just knows you're the first of the souls who have a duty."

"But I don't even know what this duty is!" Kyra suddenly blurted out, hardly shaking her mother as it came out. She sighed helplessly, looking down at the pairs of hands still tightly interlocked with one another. Aminia gripped onto them tightly, desperate not to let them loose.

Her mother continued to look at her, the uneasiness seeming to grow in them both. But the tension couldn't seem to wedge itself between the two. "Kyra... it's your duty now to seek out others who share your same fate... your same duty," Amina quickly corrected herself, swallowing back the lump in her throat. "Yourself, and the others, have a duty to help keep the balance in the world. The crystals can't keep the balance on their own anymore, not with their powers dwindling away. That's why the crystals need you - they need your will combined with their power. That is then enough to balance out the forces of light and darkness, the two things that co-exist and keep this world alive."

Kyra sat in silence, trying to take in what was always known to her as stories, silly myths in her eyes that her mother used to tell her when tucking her in at night. But they really were all true. They weren't as unrealistic as she thought they were. Looking up, with her mother still staring at her intently, she inquired, "And... how would you know all this?"

"I knew it when I first found you," Amina quickly replied, standing up as she still gripped her daughter's hands. "I may be a superstitious woman, believing all those tales and myths, but I know a valiant soul when I see one. Even as you grew up, and made your mistakes, and laughed and cried through every situation, I still saw that inside of you." Her hands then tugged at Kyra's, pulling her up onto her feet as well. "And that's what made me believe in those legends. You, Kyra. You're a Warrior now, and with what you have inside of you, you have to set out, and make use of it."

Kyra blinked a few more times at her mother, feeling the grip on her hands loosening and a cold air running past their separating hands after being together for so long. The girl still had so many questions that needed to be answered, but the urgent look in her mother's eyes had said something else.

She had to set out. Now.

* * *

><p>Amina had ushered Kyra out of the house with a wallet full of gil, telling her to head to the storehouse at the other end of the village, and to take anything she needed. Her mother would explain the rest to anyone looking something from there later on. Not much was needed from there anyway; only a few potions, a bottle of what looked like eye drops, and a curious golden feather. A new sword and a small dagger were hidden in there, as well, and her mother's money bought a new shield and some proper defensive gear.<p>

Once she was set, she took off to the best place she could find her future companions - Kazus.

The busy city was said to only take an hour or so to travel by foot, which meant it gave the new Warrior some time to reflect over unanswered questions...and what to say in order to find other 'chosen ones' within the town.

"Hi, there, I'm looking for...no, that sounds stupid." Kyra frowned, rubbing her head as she continued to think. She had difficulty finding the right words for some time on her trip. "Start with something a bit more casual. Maybe talk about the weather. That's always a good conversation starter, right?" She wasn't even convincing herself on that matter. She groaned, kicking at the ground as she walked along, thinking who she would even be paired with.

_What are the chances I'll get caught up with an idiot... or someone who is the complete opposite of me?_

A battle screech caused her to raise her gaze. Three goblins were standing there, their knives drawn; Kyra gazed at them for a long moment, trying to determine why they were trying to fight her - until her hand went for her sword, and collided with the wallet that was sticking out of her pocket.

A smirk rose on her face. After the fight with Cerberus, a few goblins would be a piece of cake.

If only coming up with conversation for a new companion would be so easy...

* * *

><p>Kyra meekly opened the doors to the tavern, looking around inside. Enough of the afternoon light shone in from the windows to light the rather large place up. It was like any other tavern; full of people, drunk and sober alike, scattered from table to table with all sorts of beverages between them - and the occasional dancer seducing the odd man in certain corners of the room.<p>

As Kyra gently stepped into the tavern, and the door slammed behind her, not that you could hear above the chatter and the laughter of the customers. She continued to examine her surroundings, looking for anyone who even remotely resembled some kind of 'chosen one'. People brushed and shoved past her without so much as a glance at her as she moved further on down into the tavern. Her eyes scanned from group to group, trying to narrow down those she could approach and come out with such a statement with. People still shoved past her, clearly not options for Kyra and were immediately ticked off her mental list.

Her eyes soon lay themselves on a tall figure in the corner, away from all the hustle and bustle of it all. Neatly combed black hair and dark eyes seemed to stand out more than the thin face they belonged to. They seemed older than Kyra, although, not incredibly older than what she would be. Whoever this person was, they didn't seem to belong in a place such as this. For starters, they looked too smart, not that those looking smart in appearance couldn't go to taverns. But the figure clearly stood out the more you looked at them. The figure kept to their own, talked to absolutely nobody and drowned out anything that would seem to distract them from... reading? The more Kyra looked over the man, after squinting and cocking her head to the side to discover what looked to be his gender, the more he looked to be a black sheep amongst this drunken herd.

_It wouldn't hurt in asking him about something…_ Kyra thought to herself, despite being rather reluctant to approach the man. She shook her head, murmuring, "Just do it and get it over with." After building up enough confidence, her legs began to move, heading straight towards the man with a confident stride.

But all that was remembered was a clash and a crash as soon as Kyra had started into her motion.

"I'm sorry, I am so, so, sorry!" Came a squeak in front of her.

After Kyra had managed to recollect where she was again, out of the corner of her eye, she saw the tall figure gliding past her and through the cliques of people. She started to panic. "H-hey, wait! I need to-" But it was already too late. Her cries weren't heard to the door of the tavern that silently shut behind the figure.

Her target was gone.

Kyra groaned in frustration. "Great... just great!" She soon looked around to the mess that had sprawled itself on the floor in front of her.

Among the spillages, scattered sets of broken china, and tankards, was a girl, no more than a few inches smaller than what Kyra was. Long blonde locks shielded the left side of her face from view, and even at times some of the sheer panic and embarrassment in her eyes as she stumbled to fix the mess she created. No doubt this was one of the workers in the tavern. With a fully buttoned white blouse - that had faded to a light grey over time - and a darkish-red skirt that had reached down to just above her ankles, it was pretty obvious that she worked here, and looked neat and proper.

Feeling a sense of pity for her, Kyra did what she could only do, and went to help her pick up the pieces of her mess that she mostly helped cause. "Here... I'll give you a hand..." She murmured as she bent down to help the girl as best she could. Only, not much help had been given as both of their heads had collided into each other upon both bending over at the same time. The two both flinched and jerked back as their heads collided and winced. "Ay...some hard head you have…"

"I'm sorry!" The girl squeaked again as she let gather up some broken pieces of china first before going to pick up other items she dropped.

"You don't have to keep saying sorry, you know."

"Oh, right, sorry…"

Just as Kyra was about to start speaking to the girl once again until she heard a yelp, and looked up to find the owner of the sound being tugged to a standing position by her very hair. The hand that tugged at her hair was a man, quite tall in size and considerably older than what the girls were - around his early forties it seemed. Already his short hair and stubble had a greying quality to them, and with the tense lines around his temples and the bags under his equally grey eyes said a lot about him on his own.

"Ya can't go one shift without messin' somethin' up, can ya, Kimiko?!" His voice boomed throughout the tavern, causing the normal bustle of it to suddenly quieten down. The more he shouted in the poor girl's ear, the more he drew attention to himself and one of his workers. What was worse, his worker didn't even try to defend herself. "Every damn shift, I've got to deal with _you_, all because _you've_ started up something!" Anger visibly bubbling inside of him the longer he spoke, he gripped her hair harder and tugged at it more, more yelps escaping the girl's lips.

That was when Kyra decided enough was enough, and had to step in. "Would you stop it?! I ran into her; it was my fault!" She shouted at the man, fists clenched together in irritation. How could this girl, Kimiko, let someone else treat her like... like waste? And more to the point, how could this jackass think he had the authority to do so? Such people were nearly nonexistent in Ur - visitors to the town, most often, someone trying to get away from the bustle of the nearby places.

The man turned his eyes on Kyra, giving the unassuming Warrior a once-over - and lingering uncomfortably in certain zones. Without even looking back at Kimiko, he shoved her away, causing her to collide with a table and nearly knock it over. Kyra had little time to take notice before the man stormed forward, towering over Kyra threateningly. With his arms folded over his chest, he growled, "I don't play the sympathy card in my tavern, missy."

Kyra straightened her back, holding her chin high in reply, folding her arms in the same manner as the owner of the tavern. This was a game now, and she had to play her cards right. "You think you can scare me?" she reprimanded. "You think you can push me around like these other workers?! I'm a Warrior."

She regretted the words the moment they came out of her mouth. The crowd around her exchanged thoughtful glances... and burst out laughing, the tavern nearly returning to its previous volume. Kyra resisted the urge to shrink away, despite the embarrassment that threatened to enflame her face. What was she thinking, saying something like that in a crowd?

The tavern's owner smirked. "You've been enjoying your bedtime stories too much, missy," he warned. "I oughta-"

He never finished that sentence. His gaze had turned to straight ahead of him, his eyes widened for a moment. But, his expression quickly turned to rage as his ears turned red and a scowl was written all over his face. "Hey! Your shift isn't over yet!" Taking advantage of the distraction, Kyra followed his gaze as the crowd went silent once more.

The sight of Kimiko stumbling her way through the tavern had her boss almost too furious to move. Despite her constant stumblings, and trippings at times, she managed to summon up the will to shout back, "Get someone to cover it then!" Before the doors slammed behind her, and she had gone.

The man grunted as his eyes quickly laid back on Kyra once again, his nostrils flaring. "Get the hell out of my tavern." He growled in a low tone before turning his back and marching off, not even bothering to run after his worker.

Kyra turned to the doorway, and didn't hesitate to use it.

* * *

><p>Just outside of Kazus stood the girl who suffered ill-fate wherever she turned. Kimiko was cursed with bad luck, or at least, so she was led to believe by the owner. If a customer was upset, it was her fault. If there was something wrong with the food or the drinks served, it was also her fault. Not that there was ever a logical explanation to how it was her fault but the girl couldn't question it. Not only that, but her tripping and collisions made things far worse than she wanted things to be.<p>

Kimiko rubbed her temples, muttering angrily to herself as she usually had done. "You had to go and mess everything up again, didn't you?" She paced outside the town, careful not to miss her footing on the rough ground below her. "He's going to kill me when I get back! I'll have no job, nowhere to go…" She sighed before she groaned, and kicked her foot at a small stone - which she missed entirely and nearly lost her footing on. Kimiko then tapped her fingers on her chin, pondering. _I need to find other options here..._

"Everything alright?"

A panicked squeal died in Kimiko's throat as she turned to the sudden voice behind her, her heart in her mouth. But, to her relief, she only found it to be the girl that had helped her pick up the mess she made - the only one who had ever helped her clean up her mistakes. She swallowed back the fear she once had, and nodded slowly, gripping onto the sides of her skirt.

"It's okay, you know. I'm not gonna hurt you or anything like that," Kyra replied with a small smile, to which Kimiko half-heartedly smiled back. This wasn't going to be as easy as she expected it to be. Nevertheless, she tried the next best thing. An introduction. The girl held out her hand. "Kimiko, right? I sorta got that from the shouting match going on in there."

The girl in question snorted, just a little bit, before smiling with a more genuine interest and taking her hand. "That's me, alright... I'm a bit infamous around here, for... obvious reasons." She chuckled a little before clearing her throat. "And... you are...?"

"Kyra. I'm not from around these parts."

Kimiko nodded her head in understanding, musing to herself that the name Kyra hadn't popped up around Kazus at all. The two let go of each other's hands, and after that, an awkward silence swept over the pair. And it wasn't as if there was any background noise to fill the silence between them. All around them was surprisingly... quiet. Something that wasn't like Kazus at all.

"...Thank you. For what you did earlier. For me."

Kyra looked to the girl who gave the quiet statement, and couldn't help but frown at Kimiko. She said it in an almost... unfamiliar matter. Like it was the first time she had said so. Like the concept itself was unreasonable. "I couldn't just stand there while that happened," the Ur girl replied, but all she got was a simple shrug from the worker as she avoided her eyes. "You shouldn't let your employer push you around like that," Kyra continued.

Kimiko folded her arms and just shook her head. "It's a bit of a long story. Look," she said quickly, changing the subject around, eyes locking with hers in all seriousness. "I owe you one. What you did for me today meant... a lot, to say the least. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask."

That was when a glint flickered in Kyra's eyes, and Kimiko could easily see that. Already an idea had formed in the mind of the newcomer who had aided her, and the simple girl, who worked all her life in a ruddy tavern just to get by, was almost starting to regret her offer.

Kyra rubbed the back of her neck as she asked, "I have a... job to do. I'm looking for some people who might know something more about... erm..." She laughed nervously as she attempted to hastily think over her words. Kyra, don't you dare mess this up… "...crystal folklore. You know, more into it, who may be involved with it. You wouldn't know anyone else who... you know... someone who knows more about it?"

Kimiko cocked her head to the side as she considered Kyra's inquiry, humming as she rattled her brain for an answer. Kyra watched nervously, wondering whether this worker girl was actually thinking of someone who could help her, or something that could knock her out and provide a quick getaway. She suddenly snapped her fingers and grinned.

"Yes," she replied, "I know exactly who might be able to help! I've spoken with a man a few times he's been at the tavern here - goes by Cid." She continued smiling, and her smile widened as Kyra grinned back - and some tension poured out of her face. "He's a regular in the tavern. Comes all the way from Canaan too." Without further warning, Kimiko grabbed the village girl's hand and dragged her back into the village. "Let's go! I can introduce you, and then we can help you out..."

As Kimiko nattered away to Kyra to the things that could help the girl and where it could lead her, the child, born and raised in Ur, felt something in her gut that things weren't so right here. Sure, it was a different place from her village and it took some getting used to, but the atmosphere was completely different from when she first entered the village. Kyra's ill feeling of the atmosphere seemed to grow stronger and stronger right until Kimiko burst through the doors of the tavern.

And within, not a sound was heard, no scent of tobacco or alcohol or delightful heart-warming food wafted through the place. You couldn't even smell the very things you once could taste on the air throughout the tavern. And the thing that sent a chill of panic through both girls' spines?

Not a soul in sight.

* * *

><p>Draco: {turns on FFXIII's Hanging Edge theme}<p>

Arca: Ah, nothing says cliffhanger like ours does here. *sits in a ridiculously comfy red chair and drinks tea*

Draco: {lounging on big red loveseat, ankles crossed, bottle of cola in one hand} Clearly, you don't read enough manga, Arukuu.

Arca: Okay! That's us signing off with yet another chapter! Stay tuned for whatever will happen next, and make sure to tell us what you think!

Draco: Sayonara! {waves to readers and spills drink on self} Oh, for fu-


	3. Chapter 3

Draco: ...I got nothing witty. I usually got something witty. Arca, you got something witty?

Arca: *looks through chest of many things* ...nope, nothing in here. *shakes cobweb off her hand*

Draco: {shrug; turns to readers} Enjoy!

Final Fantasy III and the Eternal Wind era © Square Enix

* * *

><p>Silence.<p>

Raw, utter silence permeated the tavern as Kyra and Kimiko stood there, shocked. The tables were still scattered with drinks, there was still the wreckage from the girls' collision upon the floor, and yet there was not a soul was in sight. No drunkards at the tables, no dancers in the corners, no one at the counter. The air was motionless without laughter and cheer to move it, and the scents of liquor and smoke were only lingering traces, as their sources had departed from the building.

The door entrance collided with Kyra, snapping her out of her stupor. "What the... what has _happened_ here?" she cried out.

"How...?" Kimiko stumbled forward, disbelieving her eyes. "How did this... Where did...? Oh, heavens..." The more she tried to shake away bad thoughts in her head, the harder it became, and the more surprised she became as reality hit her square in the face.

"Who the hell is out there now?" The roar of Kimiko's boss caught Kyra's ears, and she turned towards a door leading further into the tavern, which appeared to have been left open. Curious, she stepped forward, one hand on her sword - and was surprised when someone walked out.

Except it _wasn't_ someone. It was the vague_ outline_ of someone, nothing more than a generic two-dimensional arc in the air. As the head looked around, she realized that its body was completely flat - there was no _substance_ to the being that stood there.

Kimiko saw the figure and _screamed_.

Kyra pursed her lips, and gave a nonchalant hum. "This is new."

The figure looked straight at Kyra - or seemed to; she couldn't exactly see its eyes - and growled in a familiar voice. "What the hell do you want, Warrior girl?" The snap made it unmistakable - this was the boss of the tavern. "Here to gloat? Talk about a pathetic grudge. The whole damn town's been turned into ghosts, and you come looking for me?"

"Ghosts?" Kyra murmured. Then she shook her head. "No, we're looking for some-"

She didn't finish - the boss had caught sight of Kimiko, and now he roared past Kyra's ear, "You!" The girl from Ur grabbed her ear, now ringing, as the boss stormed past her, marching up to Kimiko. "You got a lot of nerve coming back here, Kimiko! What the hell have you gotten us into now?"

Kimiko winced. "I'm sorry..."

"The hell you are!" her boss snapped. "You wreck my stuff, storm out in the middle of your shift, I start looking _straight through_ everyone, and then you come back here and think I'm gonna believe you're sorry? Yeah right! Look," he snapped, pointing at her face menacingly, "_you're_ the one who got us into this mess, so now-"

"What are you talking about?" Kyra shouted, causing the boss to turn to her. "You think she's responsible for this?"

"Shut up," the boss snapped, turning back to his worker. "Now, you damn well better find some way to get us out of this, Kimiko. Don't think I'm gonna let this slide by on your resume."

Kimiko tried to speak. "Look, I don't-"

Her boss lashed out with his hand, and by reflex Kimiko flinched.

The strike passed through her face without effect.

Kyra was sick of watching. "I've had enough of this," she insisted. "Let's get out of here, Kimiko." She started towards the door, taking the girl's hand and leading her to the door.

Her boss' roar caught their ears. "What the hell do you think you're doing walking away, wretch?" he shouted. "I'm not just gonna-"

"Oh, put a lid on it," Kyra groaned over her shoulder, pulling the door open and letting it close once she and Kimiko had left the building.

The worker girl looked guilty. "I am _**so** fired_," she murmured.

Kyra shook her head. "Don't think about that right now," she insisted, glancing around the town. Now that she was paying attention, she could see the people standing around - except they all looked like the same kind of outline as Kimiko's boss. "Let's leave visiting that Cid guy for later. Can you think of anyone who might be able to help us with this?"

Kimiko angled her head back, her teeth digging into her lower lip as she tried to think. "I don't think anyone in Kazus knows about anything remotely like this," she admitted.

"Great," Kyra grumbled. "What am I supposed to do now?"

The two girls stood there in silence for a moment.

"Well," Kimiko observed, "I guess you could try Castle Sasune. They say the people in charge of a land always know more than the land's people. Maybe the king will be able to figure out what's going on?"

"Let's hope they're nicer than your boss," Kyra mused, turning to leave town.

"Wait!" Kimiko's call prompted Kyra to turn back to her. "Let me come with you. I need to do something to help these people!"

"You don't really believe what that guy said about this being your fault?" Kyra asked.

"This place is my home," Kimiko replied, her tone filled with a pleading of some sort. "I need to help somehow!"

Kyra angled her head from side to side. "Good point," she mused, drawing a dagger out of her belt. "Here," she prompted, taking the weapon by the blade, "you're gonna need this."

Kimiko took the weapon in her hands, concerned. "Are you sure...? I mean, I'm not really..."

"Trust me," Kyra assured her. "You're gonna need something to defend yourself. It's not gonna hurt you."

She turned and began to lead the girl out of the town.

Not ten steps out, a shout caused her to turn to see Kimiko having tripped - forward, on a pebble, which seemed to be loose from the ground. The dagger was clattered next to her outstretched hands, and as she quickly picked herself up Kyra noticed her face flushed with embarrassment. "Sorry," she murmured.

A familiar shout turned Kyra's attention back out of town, revealing a band of goblins waiting to strike - and a heavy sigh passed through her lips.

"What have I gotten myself into _now_?"

Only later would the Ur girl realize Kimiko hadn't really answered her question.

* * *

><p>The trip to Castle Sasune took far longer than it should have - on account of Kimiko stumbling, tumbling, and generally being a klutz. Still, Kyra managed to maintain her patience as she and Kimiko stepped onto the flagstones, the sun setting nearby.<p>

Someone rushed out of the castle, not paying attention to their surroundings - and running straight at Kimiko. Having noticed the worker girl was not exactly quick to react, Kyra quickly pushed Kimiko out of the way - and took the dasher's collision herself. The two tumbled over each other for a few rotations, coming to a stop back on the bare earth - and Kyra found herself lying under the runner's dazed form.

Her hair - at least, Kyra _thought_ it was a her - was messy and silver, though lit gold by the setting sun; her eyes were a poisonous green colour that made Kyra think of that potion she had found in Altar Cave. Her garments were of dark disposition - a black pair of short shorts and a black tank top, though her feet were bare - and she didn't have much figure to speak for her gender.

The girl gripped her head as though hurt before realizing she was lying on top of someone. "Oh, shit, sorry, sorry," she insisted, getting to her feet. Even her _voice_ was rather androgynous. "I'm so sorry, I gotta be somewhere. Sorry." She bowed furtively before rushing away from the castle.

Kyra followed her with her gaze for a moment, confused, before forcing herself to her feet. As she approached Kimiko again, a nearby guard came out through the gates. Upon seeing the two girls, he took up an assertive stance before speaking; "Welcome to Castle Sasune. State your name and business."

Kyra was nursing a bruise on her elbow as she spoke, stepping forward. "My name is Kyra, of Ur," the Warrior introduced. "This is Kimiko, of Kazus. We're here to speak with the king about... a pressing matter at hand in Kazus." She chose her words carefully, making sure she didn't blurt out something unlikely to be believed, as she had in Kazus' tavern.

The guard raised an eyebrow. "Pressing matter?" He sounded almost concerned.

Kimiko spoke up. "Everyone's been turned into ghosts!"

Kyra closed her eyes and slumped her shoulders, a slow breath passing through her lips._ Great. Now we look like a couple of gullible children._

"Ghosts?" the guard mused.

"Yeah," Kimiko insisted. "It's like, they're all turned into outlines. The same outline, even. They pass right through your body if they try to touch you."

At this point, Kyra was certain that the guard was going to tell them off for being fools; but no. Rather, he set a hand on his chin, thinking. "Outlines?" he murmured. "That... sounds kind of familiar."

"You're kidding me," Kyra murmured. That was just too good to be true. They were lucky enough to get away from this apparent curse that had befallen the town, but they were even luckier that someone actually had believed them.

The guard beckoned them forward. "Come with me," he prompted. "I will take you to the king." As he turned to lead them, he added, "Please don't go anywhere I don't lead you. The castle's in a bit of a state."

Kimiko angled her head to one side. "State?"

"Some thief ran in here and stole one of our mythril rings," he replied. "All the members of the royal family keep them as charms of fortune, but she managed to get her hand on the princess' ring and took off with it."

"Thief?" Kyra asked. "What did she look like?"

"I only got a fleeting glimpse of her," the guard admitted as he pushed the main doors open. "Dark garments. Silver hair."

Kimiko stopped, catching the Ur girl's shoulder and causing her to turn. "Kyra..." she murmured.

"What is it?" Kyra asked.

"Weren't you wearing a necklace?"

Kyra paused for the briefest of moments; then her hand flew to her neck, finding it bare - her crystal necklace was missing. "What the... How did she...?" Her gaze flew back out the doors, as though she expected the thief girl to be standing there with her necklace in hand. "That was the thief!"

"You encountered her?" the guard asked.

"Yeah, all of two seconds before you came out and talked to us!" Kyra protested. "I'll be right back-"

She started to walk away, but Kimiko grabbed her arm. "Don't," the worker girl told her. "She'll be long gone by now. Let's just talk with the king about Kazus and maybe we can track her down later."

Kyra grit her teeth angrily, but Kimiko had a point. "Fine," she murmured, turning back around. The guard was standing there, waiting for them to decide; she beckoned for him to lead the way.

* * *

><p>King Sasune was a rather patient man. Kyra could tell from the moment she walked into the throne room; some of the soldiers were pacing, others were sharpening their swords, but the king was just sitting at his throne, waiting for his visitors.<p>

The guard stopped ten paces away, stepping to one side.

Kyra took one step further and curtsied.

Kimiko took that same step and tripped on her own feet. The girl from Ur winced, watching her stumble to her feet and bow lightly. It wasn't the greatest of first impressions but it had to do as the king began to speak, his tone a gravelling one.

"I understand you have something to ask of me," the king mused.

"Yes, your Highness," Kyra mused, thinking her words through before speaking. "Something has happened in Kazus. Its residents have become mere spectres, their only visible presence a generic human outline. Their attempts to make physical contact with others only pass through unaffectedly. We have come seeking your advice on the matter.

The king set his hand on his chin, thinking for a long moment. "When did this happen, you say?"

"Er..." Kyra exchanged confused glances with Kimiko. "This morning, I believe?"

"This cannot be coincidence," the king observed. "Only just this morning, a small squadron of soldiers came back from the Sealed Cave, across the lake to our northeast. They said that an unfamiliar figure, wielding a sword and with a handful of fire, had appeared while they were patrolling the depths of the cave. I feel the transformation of Kazus' inhabitants may have something to do with this figure."

Kimiko gulped. "What should we do?"

The king beckoned for the soldier nearest him to approach, issuing a few quiet orders to him, before turning back to Kyra and Kimiko. "For tonight, I insist you rest up," he informed them. "The room adjacent the entrance has several beds that I am sure you will find comfortable. Tomorrow, I ask that you return to Kazus. I will send a few soldiers to the cave to speak with this appearance."

"You're crazy!" Kimiko blurted out; then she slammed her hands against her mouth.

Yet the only response she received from the kind was a series of chuckles. "How so? My soldiers are the most trained men in these lands. If he does not wish to cooperate, they can certainly defend themselves."

Kimiko dug her teeth into her tongue briefly before speaking again. "You said he was holding fire? As trained as your men are, this creature sounds like a sorcerer. He turned the people of Kazus into ghosts. I don't think your men are going to be alright."

The king raised an eyebrow. "What do you propose I do?" he asked.

"Let us go."

Kyra's words caused Kimiko, the king, and every soldier in the room to turn to her. She realized that she had spoken unnecessarily loud and cursed herself mentally - but did not let it show on her face - before continuing. "Allow us to speak with this sorcerer. We can determine what he wants from cursing Kazus."

The king looked worried. "You believe that you can survive if he tries to harm you?" he asked. "Where my men cannot?"

A long moment passed in silence.

"With all due respect, your Highness," she replied, "I do not believe that your men have survived an encounter with Cerberus."

Kimiko yelped, falling back and striking the floor of the throne room again.

King Sasune started in his seat. "You... Do you mean to say that...?"

"My name is Kyra," she introduced, realizing she had yet to give the king her name. "I am come from the town of Ur. To the north of my hometown is the Altar Cave, which holds access to a temple holding a crystal. In pursuit of a thief that had stolen something of mine, I arrived at the temple to find the crystal darkening - and a three-headed beast known as Cerberus guarding it. By the behest of the crystal itself, I fought the beast."

She held her hands out to her sides. "Do I look dead to you?"

Everyone was surrounded by the king's dumbfounded silence for a long moment.

Kyra took the opportunity to speak again. "If you will allow us to stay the night, it will be much appreciated - but in the morning, I will make for the Sealed Cave, and confront the sorcerer who had cursed Kazus.

Kimiko pulled herself to her feet, standing tall at Kyra's side. "A-and I'll go with with her," she added.

"Are you sure?" Kyra asked quietly.

"I told you, I need to help Kazus," Kimiko replied at a likewise volume. "If you're going to test that guy, I'm coming with."

The king bowed his head. "Very well. But for now, I insist you rest. At least until the morning."

Kyra and Kimiko both accepted the offer with gratitude.

* * *

><p>"Where are you hiding..."<p>

The girl who had run into Kyra at the castle gates went by the name of Malum - a chronic mischief-maker with the fingers of a demon. Castle Sasune was a treasure trove full of morons, and sneaking in earlier to snatch the princess' mythril ring had been easy - the crystal necklace from the chick walking in had just been a bonus.

She currently had that ring around her finger, and that necklace in her pocket, as she clambered up the castle wall in the dead of night - given the chill air of the late hour, she had exchanged her black, flexible garments for a dark red robe. One ring was not going to get her any significant coin; she needed to find something _very_ valuable - or else several somethings that would add up to a great value.

The castle guard had intensified its watch; Malum nearly pulled herself over the wall and into a guard's line of sight before she noticed him looking her way. She managed to avoid notice, however, and the guard merely dismissed it as a sign that he needed to get some sleep. Malum listened to his voice fade into the night, muttering about the replacement on his shift being late.

With a grin, she leapt the wall, her bare feet clattering on the stone as she leapt over the other edge of the walkway. Her extremities found handholds and footholds that they had memorized from her previous trip in, and the thief didn't even hesitate before dashing towards the main doors.

The right door flew open.

A blade neared her neck from behind the left one.

Malum shrieked, trying to stop as the blade was withdrawn. That was probably a good thing; stopping in a rush was not something she as good at, which was the biggest reason she had had that collision earlier. She managed to slow to something resembling a stop before a hand grabbed her arm; the door slammed shut, and she was quickly dragged against it.

The owner of that hand was the girl from earlier.

In her other hand was the blade that had been at her neck.

"Hello again," she greeted, raising the blade against her throat again.

The girl winced, leaning her head back and closing her eyes. "Son of a submariner."

Kyra smirked. She had been lucky that the thief had chosen to return; sleep was not coming kindly to her tonight. "What's your name?" she asked innocently in a cringey manner. Then, feeling it common courtesy to provide her own; "I'm Kyra."

"Malum," the sneak replied. She attempted to keep her face as emotionless as she possibly could. After all, as a thief, you could never show a sign of weakness. Her eyes narrowed as a look of uncertainty shrouded Kyra's face.

A pause; then Kyra shook her head. "Yeah, I still have no idea if you're a girl or not."

"_Yes_, _I am_, for your information," Malum muttered through clenched teeth.

"That clears up _that_ cloud in my mind," Kyra mused.

She released Malum's arm, but the thief had nowhere to go with a blade at her neck. Her fingers found the ring around her finger and drew it off, holding it up to the light. "So this is mythril," Kyra mused, setting the metal between her teeth. Her hand then dug into Malum's pocket, and were rewarded by the jewelled strands within.

She drew out the crystal necklace, slipping it over her wrist so she could take the ring back from her teeth. "Now," she mused, moving her blade away. "What to do with you."

Malum angled her head to one side. "You could let me go," she observed, eyes still narrowed as she looked over the girl.

Kyra only laughed.

"I'm serious," Malum reprimanded.

"Let me get this straight," Kyra said firmly. "You're a thief, who broke into Castle Sasune, and stole my precious thing to boot. And you think I'm going to just let you go?"

A sigh passed through Malum's lips as her shoulders rolled back slightly. "Alright then. I wanted to make this easy but...you've forced my hand."

Her hand flew to the back of her belt, and Kyra's reflexes screamed at her to move. She forced her body backwards as Malum lashed a dagger through the air where her stomach had been just moments before. The girl from Ur acted to disarm her, but Malum quickly stepped away, leaving Kyra with her sword impaled in the join between the doors. Irritated, she tried to draw the blade out; yet the force of her thrust had not only trapped the blade in the doors, but trapped the doors together.

Malum's smirk faded into a look of realization. "Wait, damn. That's my only way out."

Kyra turned to face her.

"I'm gone."

The thief spun on her heel, taking off into the nearest room. Kyra heard the distinct_ thud_ of a multi-body tumble.

With a chuckle, she stepped into the room - the Castle Sasune guest room - to find Malum having collided with Kimiko, who was now lying beneath her. The girl from Kazus recovered first, grabbing Malum's shoulders and rolling them around so that the thief was now trapped beneath her.

Kyra chuckled. "Who said clumsiness was a curse?"

* * *

><p>Arca: *still looking through the chest* Mm, Draco, I have a feeling we were supposed to do something...<p>

Draco: I do that all the time. Trust me, if you feel like you've forgotten something, odds are you've covered all your bases.  
>Arca: Hmm...maybe...ah, never mind. Must not have been important then. That's me, signing off!<p>

Draco: {beckoning to chest} Arukuu, you forgot your box.

Arca: *climbs into it, incoherent mumbling, closing the chest lid*


End file.
